Howdy, Hanks

Considering how long he's been in the movie biz, it's a little surprising that the closest Tom Hanks got to a Western is a computer-generated cowpoke. That'll apparently change with BOONE'S LICK, in which he'll star with Julianne Moore. And now they have someone to help them circle the wagons: director Barry Levinson.

The Old West tale comes from writer Larry McMurtry, that creepy guy who won an Oscar (and thanked his typewriter) for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. He and script partner Diane Ossana are adapting his book about a family hitting the trail from Missouri to the frontier, collecting odd characters and shooting outlaws and Injuns along the way. I wonder if Hanks will retain his weird wispy hair for the film.

Levinson (an Oscar winner for RAIN MAN) last directed MAN OF THE YEAR, ENVY and BANDITS, so he's certainly past due for something not completely abominable.

Extra Tidbit:

Two of the roles for which Julianne Moore was nominated for Oscars involved her getting naked, and another featured her making out with Toni Colette.